The Penn's Grove record., 1887-05-07

others"
ssBut, Miss White / protested.
ssNo, please don't apologize; l am not
used to that. All my life long l have
been trampled upon. l don't complain
no, / don't complain. l merely state
the fact, as L think it only right you
should know everything if i am to
become an inmate of your house."
another lady to see you, SIR" an
nounced James "a Miss Mildew.n
"Show her into the library, James,"
| stammered.
"Your parents" said 1, making a
frantic effort to get to business, "were-"
"Most respectable people, but unfor-
tunate. Yes; its only right you should
know that"
"Another lady to see you, sir" an
nounced James.
"What room is vacant, James?" l
asked hurriedly. us any room vaeant?"
"Only the boudoir, SIT"
"Then show-who did you say it
was?"
"Mrs. Dark, sir"
''Show her in there"
BY the time that my fifth visitor
arrived, an event which happened very
shortly after the arrival of Mrs. Dark,
I was well nigh distracted. There really
was no room tor this last woman. l
could not have two of them gossiping
together and perhaps quarreling, so |
was compelled to ask Mrs. Heslop to
wait in the hall. 1t was very rude, but
what else could l do? Besides, such in
1 convenience as she suffered was entirely
her own fault-her eagerness to secure
the post having brought her two hours
before her proper time.
"Miss White" I said, feeling at last
secure rom further interruption, ''are
you-pray xcu a necessary question
are you really a kleptomaniac?"
instead of replying she burst into
tears. 1t was distressing to watch and
listen to her. Looking around desper-
ately for some handle to use against
her, | experienced a rude shock. My
gold vase had disappeared.
From that moment my opinion of
Miss White underwent a profound
change. L rushed, perhaps wrongly to
the other extreme, and set her down as
a most artful woman, whose weakness
was assumed to cover her nefarious
designs. Naturally enough, l felt rather
sore on this point, for | placed a high
value upon the vase. There could be
no doubt as to what become of it. For
what other purpose could she have
brought that suspicious-looking black
bag?
"You have answered my question, l
admit" said I, with a feeble attempt
at popularity, Sin a very practical man.
ner. l never saw you take that vase,
Miss White it vas %cleyerly done, with
out doubt"
She tried her tears and looked at me
with mournful surprise.
'I,m not used to icing told that l do
things cleverly,n she said. "You are
the first who has told me that since my
poor mother died. But what thing do
you mean?"
"Why," L replied, trying to smile,
my gold vase, which you have put in
your bag"
"Do you accuse me of stealing?'' she
asked.
Notwithstanding the flood of tears
| which she held in reserve somewhere /
saw then that there was fire in the
woman. The doleful features hardened;
the eyes glittered dangerously. She sat
erect, but still with folded hands.
Dreading a scene, | answered sonie-
what hastily:
"No, no, by no 1t is an ex-
cellent conjuring trick, but nothing
more.n
because" she said severely. 81 am
used to being insulted; | am used to be-
ing trodden upon, but l have never been
so insulted or so trodden upon as that
at least by a gentleman"
'sThen," / said, when l could in some
measure collect my thoughts, ''you
don't know what has become of the
vase?''
"Sir, / have never seen it"
.'But-but-pray Excuse my p%ertina-
CITY: YOU came here as a kleptomaniae.
Now. didn't you Miss White?"
"It's very hard" she replied, weep
ing again, ''for a poor defenceless
woman to be attacked IN this way. But
l don't complain, for I'm used to it. l
came here in answer to an advertise
ment said to proceed from a gentleman,
and l only wish l hadn't"
"And that advertisement was for a
kleptomaniac. Really, Miss White, /
must ask you to let me see your bag"
Crying bitterly all the time, but with
out a word she handed it to .me. l
opened 1t and found it empty! / don't
think that, either before or since, | have
felt SO crushed as Ibid at that moment,
though my conviction that this shame
less woman had got the vase was un-
shaken by my failure to find it.
And now there burst upon me a
Thought that brought the p~erspiration
out in great drops upon my forehead.
In every available room i'll the house
there was n of these desperate klepto-
maniacs. who was doubtless thieving
right and left.
Excuse me one moment-only one
moment,n l said, and literally ran from
the room, my intention being to create
a scare and thus prevent any further
depredations. $50 to the hall door at
once.n | said to James, who happened
to be passing, s'and no account let any
one of the five ladies out of the house
until l tell YOU"
1t really was a ~frightful scene that
met my gaze in the boudoir. Mrs. Dark
had discovered in an Indian cabinet a
secret drawer of which | had no knowl-
edge, and this drawer had apparently
contained a large quantity of jewelry,
all of which / felt sure had been appro-
priated by poor Maria. In order to fill
her pocket more easily, Mrs. Dark was
seated upon the floor, with the whole
collection of rings, bracelets and
brooches in her lap and a paper in her
hand.
She was a bushy-browed, keen-eyed
elderly woman, with very square Shout
ders and a slight stoop. A glance at her
hard featured face and coarse hands
was enough to show that she belonged
to a different class from those of my
other visitors-a fact that rather sur
prised me, for her letter had been the
most attractive of all. When l heard
her speak / was driven to conclude she
had not penned 1t without assistance, if,
indeed, She had anything to do with it.
Strangely enough, too, she was the
only of the five who displayed the least
sign of embarrassment at being caught
thieving. She laughed, it is true, but
the laughter had a very forced ring.
However, she recovered much sooner
than 1 did. After closing the cabinet
she crammed all the jewelry into her
- - hor fa1f